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Dilemma

The Country Boy and I have always tried to shop “responsibly”. We try to buy fair trade tea and coffee (and chocolate too now that Cadbury has come on board). We avoid purchasing products from companies whose ethics we don’t like (currently Cotton On is on the list as it recently launched a range of “back to school” items with references to porn – for young teenagers!!!), and we try to buy products that are made in Australia so that we are supporting local jobs and local primary producers. Being from a farm, this was always important to Country Boy.

We believe that what we buy is an important statement of our values. We know that by making wise choices about the products we buy we can encourage retailers and manufacturers to make positive decisions that support our community and our environment.

As part of this, we have always avoided buying store branded food (eg Woolworths Select), even if it meant paying a little bit more. When supermarkets sell store branded products, it affects the farmers as they are not payed as much for their products. To this end we have payed almost double for milk, rather than the $1 per litre that most supermarkets offer on their own brand.

I realise that we were in a fortunate position to be able to make these choices. I earned a reasonable income, and we don’t purchase a lot of processed foods (which cost more) because I mostly cook from scratch. We made sacrifices in other areas of our lives to uphold these principles.

Now that we have moved to the farm however, our financial situation has changed. I have taken leave from my job, and will be working only part time (and hoping to pick up some casual work on the other days). Country Boy has resigned from his job to move down here, and will be looking for some part time work too. So we have alot less money coming in.

This has got me thinking. It would be easy to save quite alot of money by buying store branded food. Yesterday we went to the supermarket in town to do a big stock up, which will last us several weeks (except bread, milk, fruit and vegetable which I can get at a smaller town close by). I was comparing the price of store branded foods and in many cases you can save several dollars on basic items such as flour, sugar, and canned goods. With an unsteady and reduced income, this would be an easy way to save money.

So my dilemma is this: I need to save money, but to do so compromises our philosophy! Are ethics and philosophies something only rich people can afford?

All thoughts and advice gratefully received (but please keep it polite!)!

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Comments

  1. •´.¸¸.•¨¯`♥.Trish.♥´¯¨•.¸¸.´• says

    February 21, 2012 at 10:51 am

    I try not to buy store brands much at all , especially if not products of Australia. It is hard to make the decision when finances are tight – like ours too at the moment.
    I am in awe of you , compromise can be a balancing act.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    January 17, 2012 at 11:33 am

    Oh wow, was so happy to read this! We own a convenience store in a nsw/qld border town and are so demoralised by the lack of support for Australians and their jobs at the moment. I can fully understand your conundrum and admit to being very frustrated by people in our town who are able to afford to shop at locally owned businesses yet continue to shop on line or at the big multinational in town. We are currently hoping to lease out our shop but I will continue to support the new owners and any locals that I can. The thought that Coles/Woolies want to bring in wheat from India to use for bread just makes my blood boil!! Well done on your principles and I fully agree that compromise might help you through.

    Reply
    • Huldah says

      September 24, 2013 at 12:16 am

      I didn't know about the wheat Coles & Woolies were using. Where can I find out more about that?

      Reply
  3. Tara @ Our Whirlwind Adventures says

    January 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Wow, I didn't know I was screwing over our farmers by buying a cheaper option.
    I thought I was a genius because it meant less financial stress on our wallets.
    I would cut back on other things to afford the necessities without compromising your ethics 🙂 good luck 🙂

    Reply
  4. Nat says

    January 13, 2012 at 11:14 pm

    Ethical choices are most definitely choices for the rich – but that is pretty much everyone living in Australia. Our standard of living is so incredibly high compared to the overwhelming majority of those who we share this planet with, and our lifestyles absorb resources in huge ways. It's hard to know where to start, but your choices to live more locally, simply and holistically will continue to challenge others I'm sure.

    Reply
  5. Jenergy says

    January 13, 2012 at 8:48 am

    We've been experiencing this same dilemna, but in the end the easiest thing for us was to do what we thought right, the biggest example being buying Dairy Farmers milk rather than Coles/Woolies milk. We just decided not to buy soft drink, chips and non-fairtrade chocolate instead. Compromise worked best for us 🙂

    Reply
  6. Simon Scott says

    January 13, 2012 at 8:44 am

    Compromise. Pick a few items that you really dont want to skrimp on, like the milk for example, so you're still supporting Australian products, then buy other things from the cheaper brands. The important thing is that you DO think about these things Jo and are trying to teach your children good ideals, so many people dont even make it to that point!!

    Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    January 13, 2012 at 12:02 am

    That is a really tough decision. It's important to have convictions, but unfortunately there are situations that place you in a tough spot like that. You're not alone in your dilemma.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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